Islanders Gameday News: Final two with the Rangers

The New York Islanders begin a very important home-and-home series hanging on to third place in the East by one point, while their current opponent is just five points behind.

If the Rangers somehow swept this two-game set in regulation, we’d not only lose our collective heads but we’d be looking at a one-point separation with a couple of weeks to go.

So, Islanders, don’t be that team. Channel the joy of the last meeting, a satisfying 6-1 drubbing of the Smurfs, and do that kind of thing again. We’ll all come off the ledge together.

Leave your First Islanders Goal pick here.

Islanders News

• Previewing tonight: The Rangers are 10-3-2 in April (though that includes a lot of mopping the floor with the remnants of the Devils, who still have two meetings left with the Isles). [Isles]
• The Isles will aim to work their way out of this slump with some Rangers cooking. [Newsday]
• Podcast: Andrew Gross discusses the big, big series with the Rangers. [Island Ice/Newsday]
• The two teams have been trending in opposite directions, and if that trend continues then these meetings could be ones for the history books. [Post]
• Saturday will be Marvel Superhero Night, which is something Dan would be far better at explaining. [Isles]
• It’s time to try Kyle Palmieri on the first— er I mean Barzal (Barry doesn’t like numbered labels) line. [NYI Hockey Now]
• The Isles are trying to maintain a steady approach each day down the stretch. (So: Not react to each frustrating setback like many of us.) [NY Sports Day]
• Yet another “inside” look at the new arena. [Long Island Press]
• Bryan Trottier says the Isles weren’t quietly icing their wounds after another business-like Cup win over the Oilers in 1983, they were just keeping quiet in between celebratory outbursts as each defeated Oiler walked by to the team bus:

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include a lot of Western games, the Oilers beating the Jets again, and a third-period Blues comeback to end the Wild’s seven-game win streak.

• A(n un)friendly reminder that the Penguins have been rising up the standings while spending the past 21 games without Evgeni Malkin, who could return soon. [NHL]
• Jonathan Drouin will take an indefinite leave of absence from the Canadiens. [NHL] It’s Montreal, so this will be hard, but maybe everybody should respect his privacy? [Sportsnet]
• These nine teams have particularly interesting conundrums heading into the expansion draft. [Sportsnet]
• As Brad Treliving begins his eighth year at the helm of the Flames, his record as GM is not so great. [TSN]
• RIP Miroslav Frycer, a Czech who defected from Czechoslovakia (making him a hero to my dad) and had some outstanding NHL seasons in the ‘80s. [Sportsnet]